Thijs van Leer is a legendary Dutch musician, best known as the founding member of the rock band Focus as its primary vocalist, keyboardist, and flautist.

Born and raised in Amsterdam among a musical family, van Leer took up the piano and flute as a child and pursued them at university and music academies. Focus became one of the biggest acts in the country and released many classic albums. In the early 2000s, the band reformed with van Leer as the only member from previous line-ups; however he was soon joined by Pierre Van Der Linden on drums who had been a member in the 1970s. Since reforming, they have toured constantly and released four albums of new material, the latest being ‘Focus 11’. They are currently working on ‘Focus 12’.

Thijs van Leer (15th November 1971) | Photo Credit: Joost Evers / Anefo

“I never imagined that so many years later I am still talking about the band”

You’re coming from a musical family, do you feel that influenced you as a musician later on?

Thijs van Leer: I started to play piano when I was three. When I was six I went to a professional piano teacher by bus, eleven kilometres away. When I was ten I played Bach during a student concert at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw. When I was eleven I started to play modern jazz on the piano, playing in different bands. I never could dance with the girls, because I was hooked on the music, making groups of band members. About that same time I started to take flute lessons from my father, who was an excellent flutist with a Conservatory diploma!

Was there a certain moment that had a great impact on you music-wise? Maybe when hearing Miles Davis?

Indeed, it was Miles Davis, who inspired me with his beautiful tone and timing, with tunes like ‘Oleo’ and ‘So What’. My number one composer of the twentieth century has always been Béla Bartòk. His ‘Concerto for Orchestra’ is my favourite piece!

After you left Shaffy’s theatre group in mid-1969, you formed a three-piece rock band. Would you like to elaborate how the groups originally got together and how that evolved into Focus?

Martijn Dresden, bass player and Hans Cleuver, drummer and I formed a trio with me on Hammond organ. We called ourselves “Trio Thijs van Leer” and played music by Traffic, Santana and Frank Zappa (The Mothers of Invention). We took part in the ‘5th Symphony’ by Jurriaan Andriessen, with a symphony orchestra, ballet dancing, and a film and us as a rock band. We played at the “Holland Festival” for thousands of people … Then Martijn Dresden said we needed a guitar soloist and we invited Jan Akkerman, who came for a jam … After 10 minutes John van Setten appeared and said to Jan: “You’re out!!” John was the manager of the famous band Brainbox and came to dismiss Jan from that group. So we were a quartet and we went to London (the” rock ‘n’ roll mecca”) to record our first album: ‘In And Out Of Focus’ (aka ‘Focus Plays Focus’).

Did you ever imagine that so many years later you will be still talking about the band, and not just that, you’re still actively performing?

I never imagined that so many years later I am still talking about the band and that the actual group is more than fantastic. Lead guitarist Menno Gootjes is a virtuoso, Udo Pannekeet is a super bassist and Pierre van der Linden is one of the best, if not the best drummer on this planet. I’m playing the Hammond organ, sometimes connected with a vocoder, mixing organ and choral sounds into a fairy-tale! Our sound engineer Geraldo makes amazing mixes of our music!

How do you remember being signed by a major label and writing material for your debut album, ‘In And Out Of Focus’ (aka ‘Focus Plays Focus’)?

I remember being signed by Radio Télé Musique who paid the studio bill and the instruments, plus our PA system. They made deals with the great firms like Polydor (England), Sire (USA) and Bovema (Holland).

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If I would play ‘Focus II’ (‘Moving Waves’), ‘Focus 3’, ‘Hamburger Concerto’, ‘Mother Focus’, ‘Ship of Memories,’ what are some of the strongest memories from writing and recording those incredible albums?

‘Moving Waves’ was sung and played on the piano by me as a total contrast to ‘Hocus Pocus,’ our number one world hit! Here was yodelling first introduced in rock music, and the song contains one of the strongest guitar riffs ever composed! ‘Sylvia’ I wrote on a poem by Linda van Dyck, only as an instrumental it could climb to number one in the charts. ‘House of the King’ was our very first hit in the Netherlands.

Do you feel that you always had to have a certain concept when entering the studio to record a new album?

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. ‘Eruption,’ a long piece with many different themes and gags, had the Greek Drama Orfeo ed Euridice as a leading structure. Many other songs had a certain melancholy and many other songs were obviously happy and non-problematic.

As a main songwriter, what in your opinion makes a good song? Do you feel that your songwriting changed during the years of being an active musician?

I think a good song needs a moment of human touch, in a verse, in a refrain, in an instrumental part. My songwriting did not change dramatically: the minor key pieces were most of the time the deepest and nowadays this is still the case.

What would be the craziest concert Focus ever did and why?

I would say the nationwide live TV in the USA, announced by Gladys Knight, where we played ‘Hocus Pocus,’ not realising that so many millions of people were watching … The result: a very relaxed performance of a crazy and disciplined song!

You also released several incredible solo albums, were volumes of ‘Introspection’ recorded because you couldn’t express those arrangements through the rock band?

Company CBS wanted me to play the flute solos on very beautiful arrangements by Rogier van Otterloo, Holland’s most gifted composer and arranger then. We called this ‘Introspection’ and five of these albums became the best sellers of all time in our country.

One of the most overlooked albums must be ‘O My Love’.

Paul Buckmaster had been the arranger for ‘Space Oddity’ by David Bowie and ‘Your Song’ by Elton John and came to me to make the record: ‘O My Love’. We went to Los Angeles and produced a hip, funky record with a special role for my first wife Roselie as a singer.

Do you feel that ‘Nice to Have Met You’ is a continuation of what you started with ‘O My Love’?

Not at all! ‘Nice to Have Met You’ was an idea of Jim Fischel. The famous New York session players Brecker Brothers, Richard Tee, Anthony Jackson came together in Ralph McDonald’s Rosebud studio in order to record my songs with me as the soloist on flute. Funky stuff!

What about collaborations with Rogier van Otterloo, Louis van Dijk? And with Elly Ameling?

Rogier van Otterloo was the best arranger for strings in the 70’s. Louis van Dijk, the best pianist, both jazz and classical. Elly Ameling was the number one oratorium singer in Western Europe!

“We’re in the midst of recording and mixing ‘Focus 12′”

Would you mind sharing some words about ‘Focus 11’?

‘Focus 11’ is my favourite Focus album. It reflects a deep sense of rhythmical consciousness together with a vast interest in different musical styles: medieval music, jazz-funk, rock and blues.

Are you planning to enter the studio again?

We’re in the midst of recording and mixing ‘Focus 12,’ but after that for sure, I want to enter the studio again!

What else currently occupies your life?

Creating new compositions, vacationing with Anne-Lies, my wife, seeing my children and grandchildren, enjoying art and music from colleagues …

Looking back, what was the highlight of your time in the band?

The highlight of my time in the band is today, this very “now” feeling of being in a band that is so creative, warm and ready to play anywhere in the world.

What are some of the most important players that influenced your own style and what in particular did they employ in their playing that you liked?

Johann Sebastian Bach, best composer.
Béla Bartòk, best 20th century composer.
Herbie Hancock, pianist.
Joe Zawinul, keyboard player.
Rahsaan Roland Kirk, flute player.
Cannonball Adderley, Saxophonist.
Menno Gootjes, guitarist.
Udo Pannekeet, bass guitarist.
Pierre van der Linden, drummer.
Miles Davis, trumpet player.
Wayne Shorter, saxophonist.